The once precipitous rise of running back Mike Bell has now reached bottom with the Broncos.

Bell was released Monday along with rookie place kicker Garrett Hartley.

Bell went from undrafted rookie free agent to No. 1 tailback in the Broncos’ 2006 training camp. He eventually settled into the backup role and gained 677 yards as a rookie.

However, Bell fell out of favor during the 2007 training camp and was moved to fullback. His place on the roster became vulnerable after the team selected fullback Peyton Hillis, possible part-time fullback Spencer Larsen and running back Ryan Torrain in the 2008 draft.

The decision to release Hartley, an undrafted rookie from the University of Oklahoma, means that Matt Prater is the presumptive No. 1 kicker heading into training camp, which starts Friday.

Mike Klis was with The Denver Post from Jan. 1, 1998 before leaving in 2015 to join KUSA 9News. He covered the Rockies and Major League Baseball until the 2005 All-Star break, when he was asked to start covering the Broncos.

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